TV covers firetruck's new life as wedding chapel

The lives of Darrell and Lisa Best changed forever when he happened upon a 1942 American Le France firetruck for sale on the side of a road.

And the truck changed, too, once the TV show "Trick My Truck" got word of it.

Best, who graduated from Civic Memorial High School in Bethalto, was president and CEO of a Metro East credit union at the time. He was driving to an event at Eagle Creek Resort at Lake Shelbyville when he spotted the fire engine.

"I liked the look of it," said Best, who was ordained as a minister six months prior to seeing the truck. "I thought to myself that this could be my mobile ministry, and I could take it to homes, parks, campgrounds to perform ceremonies."

Best was unable to stop talking about the engine once he got home. His wife, who grew up in Alton, suggested that they take their three sons to go back and get a closer look.

Following Best's lead, the rest of the family fell in love with the vehicle. Best purchased it without hesitation.

While saying goodbye, the previous owner mentioned in passing that there was a newly built Catholic church in town and that the old one was for sale.

"I thought nothing of it until my wife said something when we got home," Best said.

They purchased the unoccupied church two days later and soon founded the Best Wedding Chapel in Lake Shelbyville.

"I left my job because I was called away," Best said. "This is what I had in my heart to do."

Once the zoning issues were resolved, the family not only moved into the church to live, but they set up a home day care center in the basement, and Brother Darrell began performing weddings in the chapel.

Best used the fire engine in about one-third of the weddings he performed. The truck served either as a platform for the ceremony or a way to drive newlyweds around to celebrate their nuptials.

For Christmas, the Best family splurged on a satellite dish, so that they could watch, among other things, the CMT channel show called "Trick My Truck," which specializes in converting big rigs, usually trucks, into something that fufills the dream of an owner.

Inspired by the magic showcased on the program, Lisa Shive Best and the couple's three sons wrote a letter nominating Darrell Best and his truck to "The Chrome Shop Mafia" for transformation.

"It all went down pretty quickly from there," he said. "They showed up and took my truck. They told me to say goodbye to it, because they said that the next time I would see her, I wouldn't recognize her."

This was definitely the case, Best said.

"I have such a beautiful truck," he continued. "They fulfilled my dream - only they did it so much more fantastically. I never dreamed I would have an actual mobile chapel."

The episode featuring the fire engine's transformation will be aired on CMT at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, and again at 9:30 p.m. on that date.

The Bests will be holding a viewing on Sunday, April 26, from noon until 4 p.m. at the Best Wedding Chapel in Shelbyville, with screenings of the episode at the local theater at 12:30 and 4:30 p.m.

Matt Kolb of Keyesport also will be making an appearance with his Wave Maker, the featured truck from the season's first episode.

"I just am one of the luckiest guys in the world," Best said, who thanks God for showing him the way.

"I was looking for direction from my boss to see what avenue I should follow. This is a confirmation that we are doing what we should be doing."